


Combined Effort

by orphan_account



Series: Enchanted Worlds [28]
Category: Princess Tutu
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 03:57:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2717966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fakir enlists Charon's help for a special project.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Combined Effort

Fakir hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door to the forge. “Charon?”

“Fakir?” It swung open after a few seconds to reveal a mildly bemused-looking Charon. “Is something the matter in the castle?”

“Not at all.” Fakir shook his head. “I’m here to… well…” He swallowed. “I was wondering if… if you could help me with something. With making something, that is.”

“Oh, certainly.” The worry lines around his eyes eased, and he moved back to allow Fakir to step inside. “That’d be no trouble at all. And everything _is_ fine up there, right?”

“Yeah.” He nodded as he carefully rolled up his sleeves. “Don’t worry.”

“All right, I won’t.” Charon chuckled as he turned away to look over a shelf of items. “It’s just that I don’t see you much these days, so I thought if you were suddenly here in the middle of the afternoon something must be wrong.”

Fakir flushed. “I – I don’t… that is… it’s not that I’m avoiding you, I just…”

“I know, I know.” Charon laughed again and waved his hand dismissively. “You have a busy life and a girlfriend now. It happens.”

“It’s… it’s not that I don’t…” Fakir looked down at the floor and sighed. “Sorry. I don’t mean to stay away. It’s just… you’re right, I _am_ busy. But still, I should…”

“Fakir.” Charon turned back to face him, and shook his head. “I told you already, I understand. You can’t help your life being what it is, and you should be enjoying it. I’ll always be here when you need me, but your not being around much doesn’t mean you don’t care, and I know that.” He shook his head again as Fakir opened his mouth to speak. “Now then, tell me about this thing you want to make.”

“Well… I bought these stones…” Fakir drew a small pouch from his pocket. “And I was hoping to craft a necklace with them. For Ahiru.”

“For Ahiru, eh?” Charon smiled. “Not that I’m surprised, but what’s the occasion?”

“It’s… we’re coming up on… it’s been almost a year since she came to the castle, and I… I wanted to mark it with a gift.” Heat suffused his face and even his ears. “I – I know that probably sounds stupid, but still… I…”

“No, not at all.” Charon shook his head. “It was an important day for both of you, even if you didn’t fully realize it at the time. Your lives were changed forever that day; it makes sense that it would be special to you.”

“Yeah.” Fakir brushed at a stray lock of hair and tucked it behind his ear, for something to do while Charon gathered the necessary equipment for jewelry-making. “It wasn’t the first time we’d met, though. I don’t know if Chrestomanci’s told you that story or not?”

“Can’t say she has.” Charon set to work clearing a space on a work table for the equipment. “How’d you happen to meet her before a year ago?”

“I… to be honest, I still don’t know how I managed it.” Fakir stared at a suit of armor without really seeing it. “It was only a few months before the fire, and my parents had taken me to her hometown to visit the lake and do some sightseeing and shopping, and at one point I wandered away and… somehow found myself in her uncle’s walled garden. I must’ve used my magic somehow without realizing it or trying, and I still don’t know what exactly I did, it’s a blur. In any case, I found her there, and we spent a little time together before she got called inside… after that I found my way out again, I don’t know how, and got back to my parents. Later I’d think it was all a dream, but for those few months it stayed with me strongly.” He looked back at Charon. “We both remembered about it that day she went through his house a couple months ago… Chrestomanci feels that we were meant to find each other and be together. What do you…” He swallowed. “What do you think?”

“Well…” He pondered the question as he finished setting things up. “I don’t know anything about fate or destiny or all that, but I’m _glad_ you two found each other again, I can say that much.” He held out his hand. “Come on over here, and let’s get started – show me those gems and tell me what you’re thinking for the shape and setting.”

“Ah, right.” Fakir headed over to the table to stand beside Charon, and shook the gems out onto the scratched surface. “I was thinking of heart shapes, maybe joined somehow. Would that work?”

“Hmmm.” Charon picked them up and eyed them. “Yes, I think so… all right, I’ll get these cut and polished for you, and then we’ll work on the necklace itself. Go ahead and have a seat if you want while you wait.”

“All right.” Fakir sank into a nearby chair. “Thanks… for helping with this.”

“Not a problem.” Charon set one of the stones down, and then began to work on the other. “I’m happy to help you out. And as I said, I’m glad the two of you found each other again. To tell you the truth, before she came here, I was starting to worry a bit about you. For a long while there, you’d seemed… lost. Unhappy.”

“I…” His face reddening again, Fakir looked down at the floor. “I suppose I was. She… helped change that.”

“And that’s something I’m grateful for.” He held back a laugh as he saw Fakir turn an even deeper shade of red. “You seem to be finding your way lately, and finding things that make you happy. Not just her, but taking up dance again, and that sword… though I hear you’ve stopped that now?”

“… Yeah.” Fakir shifted in his seat, and didn’t look up at Charon. “I just… don’t have the time for it, between school, and ballet, and being with Ahiru, and other things… something had to fall through the cracks, and it was going to be that because it’s the least important thing to me.”

“You really have changed, then,” Charon mused. “I remember when you were small, you were so passionate about it.”

The heat returned to his face – truly, had it had time to leave? – and Fakir stared intently at a clump of dust on the floor. “That was… that was because of my reasons for taking it up in the first place. I’d wanted to save Ahiru from her uncle’s house, and I was childish enough to think I could start swinging a sword around and do it that way. But the truth is that she doesn’t need me to save or protect her – she needs me to support her.”

“And that’s fine with you?” Charon studied Fakir’s face. “I’ve known a lot of stubbornly prideful men who wouldn’t accept that, who’d feel lesser because they weren’t needed for protection.”

“I can’t deny that I’ve had moments where I’ve felt inadequate because I wasn’t able to help her in the way I thought I should’ve been. Like I’d let her down somehow.” He sighed. “But she made me see that that wasn’t the right way of looking at it, that I’d helped her in other ways by simply being by her side and supporting her. I gave her the strength to save herself, that day with her uncle, and that’s… not a bad thing at all. That I was able to help her at all, in a way that she needed and that she’s told me meant a lot to her… that’s good enough for me.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Charon smiled to himself as he continued to work. “You’re growing up into a fine young man, and I’m sure Ahiru’s happy to have you by her side.”

It took everything he had not to bury his red-hot face in his hands. “Then… it doesn’t upset you that I’ve set aside my sword?”

“Why should it?” He glanced up for a moment, to give him a curious look. “I made the sword for you, yes, but if you’ve outgrown your interest in it what good does it do to get upset? Everyone outgrows interests as they move through life, whether they’re children or adults. It’s inevitable because of the changes that time works on us. But so many adults seem to ignore that and see it as a failing, especially in children, and berate their child for losing interest in something that once captivated them. It’s not a good thing to do to adults either, but I feel it’s especially cruel to do to children. Let them explore their interests and drop them if they aren’t sustained – that’s how kids find out who they are. And you particularly, you’re at that age where there’s still a lot for you to figure out. There’s no harm in setting aside something that doesn’t inspire passion in you – it gives you time to discover what _does_.”

“I… yeah.” Fakir’s shoulders slumped a little as he relaxed. “You’re right… the sword doesn’t suit who I really am, whether that’s who I’ve become or who I was all along. I’m not sure… but maybe it doesn’t matter. Either way, I’m finding… that there’s something inside me that isn’t comfortable with destructive things like swordsmanship, at least not anymore.” He stared down at his hands. “Whatever power I have… magic or otherwise… I feel better using it for things like dance, or writing. Things that express and create. That side of me has been there since the fire, I think, but it’s getting stronger lately.”

“Ah, yes, I’d heard you’d taken up writing.” Charon nodded. “It makes you happy?”

Fakir nodded. “It’s something I’ve been doing for a while… but I never felt comfortable letting anyone know about it, until earlier this year. Ahiru was the first to find out about it, and her encouragement was what gave me the strength to admit it to everyone else a while after that.”

“Somehow I’m not surprised that it was her doing.” Charon glanced over in time to see him blush again; he smiled fondly and fought back the urge to ruffle his hair the way he’d done when Fakir was younger. How had time passed so quickly? It seemed only yesterday that he was a little boy, but now here he was a young man on the cusp of adulthood. “I don’t think your new happiness lately is entirely dependent on her – nor should it be – but it’s clear that you’ve both been good for each other. You spoke of giving her strength, and of receiving it from her… and it also seems to me that she’s softened you a bit. I hope you won’t be offended by my saying so.”

“… No.” Fakir shook his head, a thoughtful expression passing over his features. “I’m not. Because you’re right, she has. I haven’t changed completely, and I still don’t have the level of comfort in myself that she’d like me to find… but I know I’m on my way to it, thanks to her influence.”

“There’s no need to rush that.” Charon paused to wipe some sweat off his forehead. “It takes time to reach that point, and moreover everyone needs to go at their own pace. You’ll get there eventually, I think. Don’t worry so much about racing to the finish line.” He took a sip from the glass of water he’d brought over. “But going back to the subject of finding yourself… there’s something I want to ask you before we wander too far afield from that issue. I’ve heard you’ve decided to make castle librarian your chosen career – did I hear right?”

He nodded again. “Yeah. I’m going to take up training for it once I finish this school year.”

“Hmmm.” Charon frowned as he returned to his work. “I know I’m about to sound like a nagging old man, but I have to ask – was any part of that decision based on Ahiru’s presence here?”

“Well…” Fakir shifted in his seat again. “I won’t lie. Her being here does make me even less inclined to wander the Related Worlds the way Rue wants to. But I never _was_ interested in a career like that to begin with, and I made my decision about being castle librarian before Ahiru even came here.” He picked at a loose thread on his sleeve.  “If it helps, I spent last Saturday afternoon helping out at the library, and I did some book-binding for the first time. It suits me in a way that swinging that sword around doesn’t. So no – it wasn’t a career choice based on Ahiru being here.”

“Glad to hear it.” He smiled wryly. “Again, I know I sound like a fussy old nag, but I had to make sure you weren’t doing something so rash. You see, it surprised me more than a little when I first heard of your plans, because there was a time when I couldn’t imagine you wanting to stay in the castle and work. You really must have changed if you want to make this place your home and your office. I still remember you coming to me in tears when you started living here, saying you hated this place and wanted to leave. But then, that faded away even before Ahiru got here, didn’t it?” he added. “Seems to me that that little girl helped you find happiness here too, before you ever fell in love with Ahiru.”

“She did.” Fakir stood up, and moved to look at where Charon had finished sculpting the first stone into the shape of a heart. “Uzura, she… well, the thing is, I always did want a little sister, when I was younger. I even once asked my parents for one.” He frowned. “I don’t really remember what they said to me, but I’ve never forgotten how sad my mother looked. I never asked again.” He glanced over at Charon. “You were their friend; do you know what that was about?”

“I haven’t a clue. Sorry.” Charon shook his head. “Whatever it was, they kept it private.”

So, like so many other things about them, he’d never know. “That makes sense,” he said, fighting to control his voice. “It would’ve been very personal, after all.”

“Mmmm.” Charon made a non-committal noise as he continued working on the second of the two stones. “If you don’t mind me asking, why a sister? Most little boys I’ve known want a brother, what made you want a sister?”

“I’m not sure.” Fakir shrugged. “I don’t remember that much. Only that I wanted a little sister.”

“Interesting. Not, of course, that there’s anything wrong with that,” he added. “I was merely curious. In any case, maybe that’s why you took to Ahiru when you two met at that age.”

“I… I don’t think so.” A faint new blush worked its way into Fakir’s cheeks. “Even then, I… my feelings were never brotherly, not for her.”

“I see.” Charon laughed. “Well, you did end up getting one not too long after that, though, with Rue. Although you never did get along, so maybe she wasn’t what you were looking for?”

“I…” Fakir frowned. “She… well, I suppose our personalities were never going to be very compatible to begin with, but much of that was my fault, back then. When she first moved in, I wasn’t ready for a sibling relationship with anyone, and I still didn’t want the castle to be my home, as you remember. I wanted my parents back, I didn’t want to think of Chrestomanci as a mother or Rue as a sister. It took time to change my mind, to learn to see them as family in the way you’ve been family to me, even before I came here, because to me they were strangers that symbolized everything that had gone wrong in my life. But Uzura was born after I’d come around, so I never had a problem thinking of her as my sister.” He sighed. “Rue, though… maybe we were never going to get along that well, and things have improved, but those early clashes… those were my fault. I was so angry with myself and unhappy, and I let it affect how I acted and treated her.”

“Hmmm… I don’t know that I’d necessarily lay _all_ the blame on you.” Charon shook his head. “You had your issues to deal with and you were no perfect angel, it’s true, but you have to remember that it was an adjustment for her too. She’d never known any parents at all, only an orphanage all her life, and suddenly she was thrown into a strange environment that probably wasn’t all that comfortable for her at first, and saddled with the knowledge that she had powerful magic to be trained in, to boot. It’s a huge thing to adjust a young mind to, you know that better than anyone. And anyway it takes two to bicker, don’t forget that.”

“Maybe.” Fakir stared down at the table. “But still… I could’ve eased her transition by being kinder and less awful to her.”

“Eh.” He shrugged again. “Your behavior wasn’t its best, but you had your own troubles, you’d been through more trauma than any child ever should, and I don’t think anyone, even you, should be condemning you for it affecting you the way it did.” He nudged Fakir and smiled. “But, I take it that means you’ve never fancied Rue the way you did Ahiru?”

Fakir shuddered. “No. Even besides all our other issues, that would just be too weird.”

“I thought as much.” He laughed softly. “So then, Ahiru’s the first girl you’ve ever fancied… rather fairy tale like, then, to end up with her.”

“… Yeah. I suppose it is.” It wasn’t _technically_ wrong; still, it had been spoken with the assumption that he was straight and had never fancied another boy before. Which _definitely_ wasn’t the case. He didn’t quite feel like correcting it, though – for now, Ahiru was the only person he felt comfortable being open about his sexuality with. “Anyway, those… those look good.”

“Glad you’re pleased.” Fakir couldn’t help but be amused at the pride that filled Charon’s eyes and voice. “I’ll just fit them together, and then you can help me make the necklace to string them on, if you want – if you like creating things you might find that fun.”

“Yeah.” Fakir smiled. “I think I _would_ like that.”


End file.
